What grade level should you start the recruiting process?

I get asked this question a lot and I'm not sure that there is any concrete answer the could encompass all sports.  I believe that playing multiple sports and not putting too much pressure on a young boy or girl is extremely important.  I've seen many instances where parents push their children so hard in high school that they lose they interest of love of the sport and end up quitting before they even get a chance to get recruited for college.In my experience, I've seen where the most talented basketball and football players are starting to get recruited in eight grade (?!?).  This is absurd in my belief because there are so many things that can happen in that amount of time before you leave for college, and almost all of them are bad.  Injuries, burnout, and slow development are all trapping that fell the most talented of high school athletes.

Don't Speed it Up

I will say that any young boy or girl should get to enjoy growing up and playing sports they enjoy without the pressure of getting really good at one sport for a "recruiting sake" before high school.  It just doesn't make sense, and it has been proven that the best athletes at the highest levels all played multiple sports growing up.  There was a stat for the 2016 NFL Draft that 28 of the 31 first round picks played multiple sports in high school.  I think this shows how important it is to develop skills in multiple sports, as well as a young athlete being exposed to different types of coaching.  The time to focus on one sport is in college.  The time to enjoy playing sports is in high school.

Freshman Year - You Can Start the Process

As a Freshman, college is still so far away that I would recommend starting to think about it, but not put the pressure on yourself to make things happen right now.  Things to consider doing are making a list of colleges that interest you. Now, understand that this list will certainly change throughout high school as you do more research and hone in on your interests, but I believe it's still good practice to start thinking about it and putting it down on paper (or in your phone, since it's 2016).  Once you've made a list of colleges, try to find ways to visit those campuses.  I would recommend either trying to schedule a campus tour or attending a summer sports camp on campus because it will give you chance to see athletic facilities and get a feel for the campus.As a Freshman, you can of course start reaching out and developing relationships with college coaches, but do not make this a priority.  Remember that college coaches change jobs all the time, no matter if its at the highest level of college athletics, or at a Division 3 school.  While I think the experience of meeting and getting comfortable talking and interacting with college coaches is a great thing to do for a young man or woman, just try and make sure you're developing relationships with multiple coaches at each school in case there is a coaching change by the time you graduate high school.

Sophomore Year - Where are you Interested?

If you started to put together your list during your Freshman year, your Sophomore year is a great time to start thinking about what you are interested in studying and where you want to go to school.  Continue to refine and narrow your list.  Remember, this is a fluid list.  Don't get attached or fixated on a select few schools.  Be open to any and all possibilities and let your list evolve as you continue your journey to college.One should also begin to pick up their communication with college coaches, continuing to get comfortable speaking and interacting with coaches.  I recommend asking them how they see yourself fitting into their recruiting plans.  There is nothing wrong with this.  If they seem indifferent, thats ok.  Come back to this conversation later.  If they are interested, then you need to decide how interested that you are in that school.Summer camps and campus visits are a must in my opinion as well.  Even if it's a school that's not at the top of your list, you can really start to get a feel for how campuses feel and what you will eventually be looking for 2 years down the road when the time comes to start making your college decision.

Junior and Senior Year

It's go time!  If you're starting now, you are late to the party!